Improvement in explosive shells



W. MAGINN.

Shell.

Patented Sept. 22, 1863.

Nrrs STATES PirrENfrn @ariela TILLIAM MAGINN, OF NE`\""\"v YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN EXPLOSIVE SHELLS.

vented a new and useful Improvement in plosive Projectiles for Ordnance;and I- do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is acentral longitudinal section of a projectile with my improvements. Fig.2 is a transverse section of the same in the plane indicated -by theline x x of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a rear end view ofthe samewithout thebreechpiece.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

This invention consists in certain means of exploding a percussion-capby the rotary n10- tion of a projectile in a rifled piece of ordnance,for the purpose of igniting a time-fuse.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is the body of the projectile, hollow, and of elongated or partlycylindrical form, made with a solid head, c, but with an opening in itsrear, which is closed by a breech-piece or sabot, B, of cast-iron. d isa groove provided around the front part of the body A, and C is a ringfitted loosely into the said groove, having its external circumferenceslightly-smaller than that of the exterior of the cylindrical portion ofthe body A, which fits loosely to the bore of the piece from which it isto be fired.

IVithin the groove d is a deeper groove, d', and a portion, b, of thering is made of suffrcient thickness to reach nearly to the bottomofthis groove d, to .serve as a hammer for striking thepercussion-cap,placed on a nipple, c, which is secured into or formedupon a block, f, which is secured to the body at the bottom of thegroove d', and in which there is formed a portion of a vent, e, whichleads from the nipple to the fuse-hole g, provided in the projectile forthe reception of a time-fuse. This fuse-hole is plugged up from theoutside, after the insertion ofthe fuse,by a screw, 71..

In order to provide for the application of the ring C within thegroove(l, if of wroughtiron, it should be divided at one point, and springover the head of the projectile into the groove, and their be secured bya screw, i, as represented in Fig. 2; but if of 4cast-iron it should bemade in two semicircular pieces, which would be united by two screwsafter being put in. The nipple should bc so arranged that the directionin which it points will correspond with the direction of the rotation ofthe projectile in the gun, as shown in Fig. 2, in which the direction ofthe rotation is indicated by an arrow.

The operation of firing the fuse is as follows: Before putting theprojectile in the gun the ring C is turned back in the oppositedirection to that indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, till its projectionb comes in contact with the back of the block f, and when the gun isfired the inertia of the ring prevents it from at first turning with theprojectile, and the consequence is that the rotary motion of theprojectile brings the percussion-cap on the nipple c violently intocontact with the hammer b, either before or immediately after theprojeetile has left the gun, and so causes the eX- plosion of the capand the firing of the timefuse.

j 7' are pins inserted firmly into the projectile or projections formedthereon, for the purpose of entering the rifle-grooves of the gun, andproducing the rotary motion of the projectile about its axis.

k is a packing-ring of soft `metal, applied around the sabot B, betweenthe rear end of the body A of the projectile and a flange, Z, on thesabot. A portion of the sabot enters the rear portion, m, of the opencavity m n in the projectile, and the sabot is secured by a transversepin, Z, which is inserted through holes in the projectile and sabot.This pin is so fitted as to allow the sabot to be driven forward by theexplosion of the charge of the gun, and thereby produce thecircumferential expansion of the packing-ring, to make it fit the boreof the gun and prevent windage. The front portion w., which constitutesthe powderchamber of the cavity m fn, is made of smaller diameter thanthe rear portion n, to form a shoulder, p, against which rests a metaldisk., q, which separates the powder from the bullets or other missilesplaced in the back part, m, of thesaid cavity,'and this disk has securedto it a central pin, r, around which the mis- Siles are arranged. Vhenthe charge in the cavity n is fired, it drives back the disk q and lWhat I claim as my invention, and desire the missiles in rear of i-t,and by the pressure on the sabot causes the pin -t to be broken orsheared off by the edges of the holes in the sabot B and body A, anddrives out the sabot,

' scattering the missiles Which were contained jectile, notches s s` areformed inthe back part of the interior of the cavity m, and the missilesare thereby scattered in avery effective manto secure by Letters Patent,is-

The ring C and attached hammer b, applied to operate Within a doublegroove, d d', in combination with a nipple,c, and fuse-hole g,subitantially as and for the purpose herein speci- WILLIABI' MAGINN.

Witnesses:`

HENRY T. BROWN, J. W. CooMBs.

